OSLO, October 10 — The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, the 85-year-old South African jurist and judge on the International Court of Justice, for her efforts to promote peace and international law.
The committee said Pillay, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has been “instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.” Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, announced the award Friday at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
Pillay’s legal career spans anti-apartheid advocacy in South Africa, the High Court of South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which she headed, and the International Criminal Court. She served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
Last year she presided over a UN Commission of Inquiry that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. She currently sits on the International Court of Justice in a case in which Myanmar is accused of genocide against the Rohingya.
Pillay was in Nuremberg, Germany, attending the Nuremberg Forum 2026 conference when the award was announced, according to photographs distributed by news agencies. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the peace prize.
The award carries a cash prize of 12 million Swedish kronor, roughly 1.2 million U.S. dollars, and will be presented at a ceremony in Oslo City Hall on December 10.